SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION IS JUST AS MUCH ABOUT PEOPLE AS IT IS ABOUT WILDLIFE

Successful conservation is just as much about people as it is about wildlife blog post

Uganda is one of the richest countries in the world for biodiversity, the only natural habitat to several species such as the endangered mountain gorilla.  

For a long time, much natural conservation consisted of strict law enforcement and keeping people out of protected areas. This strategy proved unsuccessful: Uganda is a developing country with increasingly fast population growth. Family sizes average 6-8 people and poverty becomes generational.

Bwindi Conservation for Generations Project is an organisation dedicated to protecting regional wildlife by educating and empowering the local community. Through incentives such as agricultural training, people are less likely to turn to poaching or crop raiding as a source of food.

Earlier this year, Intouch Global Foundation became a supporter of Bwindi Conservation, funding a project which teaches women and schoolchildren to farm their own produce. By equipping them with skills to benefit themselves and their families for a lifetime, Bwindi are simultaneously protecting protecting the local ecosystem.